Columbia, Missouri, held a mayoral election on April 8, 2025, concurrently with elections for the city council members for city wards 3 and 4. The incumbent mayor, Barbara Buffaloe, was re-elected to a second term in office. She garnered just over 55 percent of the total citywide vote.
Background In 2022, former Columbia Sustainability Manager Barbara Buffaloe won the mayoral election to succeed outgoing Mayor Brian Treece, subsequently being sworn into office on April 18, 2022. Buffaloe sought re-election to a second term, announcing her second consecutive mayoral campaign on January 28, 2025. At this launch event, Buffaloe outlined her campaign's guiding themes, hoping to convince voters with accomplishments from her first term.
Buffaloe faced-off against two challengers during the election campaign; paint store owner Blair "Murph" Murphy and Missouri School of Journalism adjunct professor Tanya Heath. Both of these challengers qualified for the general election ballot, while Lucio Bitoy IV achieved ballot access as a recognized write-in candidate. A major theme for the mayoral election was improving city safety and the reduction of crime in the Columbia area, with all three qualified candidates making it a central issue of their respective campaigns.
The mayor's campaign garnered endorsements from various local groups, including the local union representing public sector employees in the Columbia city government. In addition to public safety concerns, Buffaloe also promised to prioritize addressing the city's turnover rate within its administration.
Murphy's first-time political campaign was bolstered by both individual donations and a large contribution from Citizens for a Better Columbia PAC. While Murphy received several endorsements from local businesspeople, he also picked up the controversial public endorsement of head Missouri Tigers football coach Eli Drinkwitz, who was subsequently subjected to a formal ethics complaint for endorsing Murphy; this was alleged as a potential violation of the University of Missouri's employee policies. In terms of campaign fundraising and spending, the Murphy campaign exceeded that of all other candidates.
Candidates CandidateExperienceAnnouncedBarbara BuffaloeIncumbent mayor (2022–present)Former Columbia sustainability manager (2010–2021)January 31, 2025(Website)Tanya HeathAdjunct professor at the Missouri School of JournalismCandidate for mayor of Columbia, Missouri (2022)Former president of the American Advertising Federation of Mid-MissouriSeptember 25, 2024Blair "Murph" MurphyOwner of Johnston Paint and DecoratingCrimeStoppers Board memberOctober 17, 2024(Website)
Write-in candidates
Lucio Bitoy IV, former Missouri Department of Social Services worker
Endorsements
Results
See also List of mayors of Columbia, Missouri
References